Who
were the men who murdered the Moravian Indians in that infamous event of 8 March, 1782?
What were the names of the murderers? There is no doubt that a body of men from
Western Pennsylvania went up the river then called Muskingum, and murdered
90-96 Delaware (LenniLenape),
Mohican, and other Indians who had been converted by Moravian missionaries to
Christianity. Some accounts say there were six warriors from other tribes there
who were killed as well. This tragic event was done at the Moravian town of Gnadenhutten
now on the TuscarawasRiver
[then the Muskingum] near New
Philadelphia in eastern Ohio.
There were three Moravian or Moravian Indian towns there at the time in Indian
Territory north and west of the Ohio
River. The three villages were burned with the
bodies of the murdered people.

My
intention is to put forth a list of names of the men who were on this expedition.
The men will be identified as to their township, creek or settlement of
residence as well as other characteristics of their identity to answer the
question of who they were and how they fared after this murdering. A list of
196 names will be developed with authority clarified as to why each name is on
the list. A part of this question is whether they were a militiaorganization
at the time, and on official military duty. The nagging question is: what kind
of men when in a group would murder men, women and children living in Christian
pacifism and political neutrality? That is the over riding question which has
prompted this investigation. .

Surprisingly,
the first list of names was not published until 100 years after the event, and
has not been re-published since 1906.[1]
This is the history of a mimeographed list presently available at the
Historical Society in Washington,
Pennsylvania-Washington
County.[2]
That list was researched and put together in 1986 by Louise Martin Mohler with the consultation of Dr. Raymond M. Bell. It had
been obvious to local historians during the nineteenth century that lists about
this ?Second Williamson Expedition?- as it was called locally- were being
withheld from public view. Reliable and serious men looked for lists, and old
men were rumored to have lists hidden away. However, apparently no list ever
came to light locally. Of course, people who lived in the area at the time knew
neighbors, friends and relatives who had gone up the Muskingum for this
expedition. Reports of the sordid details filtered out and were rumored or
whispered about. There is, however, almost nothing first hand in writing which
can be found today about the massacre.

The
Caucasian Moravians were the first to write and publish in Europe
about the massacre a few years after it happened. However, the Moravian
publications did not include any names of men who did the killing except David Williamson- the elected leader.[3]
Joseph Doddridge was the first local person other than the Moravians who wrote
openly about the massacre.[4]
Joseph Doddridge grew up around the Buffalo Creek area where his father had a
forted house. As a thirteen year old boy Joseph Doddridge knew some of the men
who went on this raid including David Williamson .The stories the men told left
an indelible impression on his memory which he wrote into his memoirs in 1824
thirty six years after the tragic event. Joseph Doddridge in his manhood became
a Presbyterian minister whose moral outrage shows through his writing. The
Reverend Joseph Doddridge says this about the identity of the men on this
expedition: ?eighty or ninety men were hastily collected together?our people
did not go on that campaign with a view of fighting, there may have been some
brave men among them; but they were far from being all such they were not
miscreants or vagabonds; many of them were men of the first standing in the
country.[this is an archaic or rural use of the word country meaning the local
area] Many of them were men who had recently lost relations by the hand of the
savages; several of the latter class found articles which had been plundered
from their own houses, or those of their relations, in the houses of the
Moravians?Very few of our men imbrued their hands in the blood of the
Moravians. Even those who had not voted for saving their lives retired from the
scene of slaughter with horror and disgust?[5]?
Joseph Doddridge was apparently too ashamed or too loyal to print any names in
1824 although it is clear that he remembered some of the men.

A few years later in the last century several
reputable local historians tried without success to find lists of names. Both
Boyd Crumrine and Isaac Craig tried to find a list
which was rumored to exist. Isaac Craig wrote to Boyd Crumrine
in 1881 that he knew of a list, but couldn?t get it- and apparently never did.[6]
Consul W. Butterfield- a notable historian of this Western border- wrote in
1882 that he was unable to find lists and public documents about this unseemly
event.[7] It
is obvious from the documentation used by Crumrine
and Butterfield that they would have presented a list had they had one. Crumrine does give a couple of the names he knew, but only
a couple of the total.

First Published List

Strangely
enough the first publication of a list of these men was in the 1888 series of
the Pennsylvania Archives which was the official publication of the State of Pennsylvania.
That list includes the names of 57 militia officers and men by military rank
and in a military unit of organization. The Editors say this of their list:
?The list of men?is far from complete, as there were at least
a force of one hundred and sixty men under the lead of the brave
Williamson.?[8]
For some unexplained reason unless due to its utmost importance the Editor of
the 1906 series of the Pennsylvania Archives repeated publication of the same
list.[9]
There is no explanation with either publication as to the origin, authority or
authenticity of the list which is re-published here exactly as in the format of
1888:

-000-

Lieutenant
Colonel

David
Williamson

Captains

Samuel Shearer (?)John
Cotton

Lieutenants

Hugh
ForbesWilliam
Wilkins

Sargent

Thomas
Rankin

Privates

Samuel
RiddelJames
Huston

John
RiddelJesse
Edginton

James
RoneyThomas
Marshall

James
BuchananThomas
Montgomery

William
Forbes Eleaser Jenkins

John
BairdWilliam
Black

Joseph
McCulloughWilliam
Ledlie

James
WhiteWilliam
Irwin

Nathaniel
WhiteRobert
Henry

David
HosackIsaac
Vance

Thomas
OrrJohn
Little

John
PollockWilliam
Quigley

John
BreckenridgeWilliam
Masterson

Alexander
WhiteJohn
Masterson

Andrew
WinemanZachariah
Masterson

AndrewPassWilliam
Rankin

Samuel
Stewart.Joseph
McConnell

Thomas ByersJohn
Munn Jr.

John
EdieDavid
Hopkins

James
BradfordJames
Steel

Charles
BevingtonCharles
Bilderback

Stephen
WilkinsJohn
White

William
McClainDaniel
Leet

Thomas
McClainDennis
Jones

Robert
McCombFrederick
Crowe

Richard
Davis

Even
after the publication in 1888 a man who had spent thirty years around WashingtonCounty
inquiring about the massacre and its perpetrators said in 1900 that he had some
names, but the names were very difficult to come by.[10]
Unfortunately, William Farrar didn?t print his collection of names for the Ohio
Historical Society at that time, and his list is not in the OHS archives today.
At the same time Farrar did not acknowledge the existence of the 1888 list
printed above. Farrar is well worth reading. He did repeat a story of a
participant who had a slave. The slave told the story of the owner returning
with blood on his shirt the evening of the eighth of March, 1782-
implying that his master had been on that raid.

Lists
of Militiamen who served the first week of March, 1782

Louise
Martin Mohler was the first to recognize that certain
published lists of WashingtonCounty
militia units which served that first week of March, 1782 would have to be the
men paid to go up the Muskingum with Colonel David Williamson.[11]
Louise Mohler saw that the men listed in the
Pennsylvania Archives were those militia units for the ?Second Williamson
Expedition? [12]
Those men were all part of the Fourth Battalion of Washington County Militia of
that first week in March in 1782. Whether or not that grouping of men as the
Fourth Battalion was a permanent or stable organization or whether the
battalion was made up just for this expedition will become clear further on in
this paper.

The
Fourth Battalion had been under the command of James Marshel
as Lieutenant Colonel of the militia for WestmorelandCounty
before WashingtonCounty
was formed out of Westmoreland. At the time of the formation of WashingtonCounty
in the summer of 1781 James Marshel was appointed CountyLieutenant
with a colonel?s rank in the militia. That officer was the highest ranking
militia officer in command of all county militia units in each PennsylvaniaCounty.
C. W. Butterfield has published letters between General Irvine at FortPitt
and militia Colonel Marshel.[13]
Butterfield points out that David Williamson who with Marshel
had been a militia officer for Westmoreland County had taken the Oath of
Allegiance to Pennsylvania and been commissioned a Lieutenant Colonel of the
Fourth Battalion for the new Washington County militia. Colonel Williamson had
taken a unit up the Muskingum to the Moravian Indian towns the preceding fall
of 1781. It is Butterfield?s contention that David Williamson was the right
hand man of Colonel James Marshel, and that
Williamson may have been the only Colonel ready to go for the new county the
first week of March. Other battalion commanders had according to Marshel refused to take the Oath of Allegiance to the State
of Pennsylvania
as many had allegiance to the state of Virginia.[14]
There was an active territorial dispute between Pennsylvania
and Virginia
over this area, and that dispute remained active and unsettled at that time.
This is documented in Butterfield?s fine collection which has never been
reprinted.

It
is not clear whether the militia of WashingtonCounty
were organized on the basis of locality, fighting talent, age or other factors.
Pennsylvania
law required that all men between the ages of 18 and 53 be part of the militia.
There are other lists of the battalions of WashingtonCounty
in the Pennsylvania Archives. There are also other returns or lists of men who
patrolled the frontier on various dates in 1782, 1783 and on through 1786.
There is no study of whether the classes and battalions were organized around
settlements and townships by geographic proximity which might seem logical.
Paul W. Myers[15]
has compiled a list of about 2200 men who are shown in the Archives as having
served some period of time in WashingtonCounty
militia. However, if sworn allegiance to Pennsylvania
was being required it is entirely possible that was a determining factor in
getting men together the
first of March, 1782 for this
expedition.

The
question has been raised as to whether this was an on-duty militia expedition.
It is absolutely clear that County Lieutenant Colonel James Marshel
had the authority as given early in January, 1782 by the Supreme Executive
Council of Pennsylvania to call out the militia. The authority to call out
units had been given to the CountyLieutenants
of both Washington and Westmoreland counties by the Supreme Executive Council
of Pennsylvania. It is further clear from the correspondence Colonel Marshel had with General Irvine at FortPitt
that Marshel was being given advice and requests were
being made of him by General Irvine. Whether or not General Irvine could
command Colonel Marshel and the militia is a little
unclear. General Irvine did not use a commanding tone with James Marshel, and Colonel Marshel
sometimes said he could not comply with the wishes of General Irvine[16]. The fact is that when this expedition left
for the Muskingum General William Irvine had been in the East for some time,
and had no knowledge of its organization. Communication being several days away
on a fast horse this was apparently done without the knowledge of General
Irvine or the knowledge of Colonel Gibson at Fort Pitt in charge after the 15th
of January.

With this introduction here are the
?returns? or lists taken as authorizations to pay by company for the time
between the 1st of March and the 8th of March, 1782
exactly as they appear in the Pennsylvania Archives, Sixth Series.

ASSOCIATORS
AND MILITIA ? COUNTY
OF WASHINGTON

A
Return 1st and 2nd classes Cap?n
Henry Graham?s Company of the 4thBatt?n
Washington County Militia Ordered to Rendezvouze the
1st day of March, 1782 (c.)

1st
Class

William
PriceJoseph
Willson

John
MarshalAbnerWillson

Henry
CooperJames
How

Nicholas
SmithJohn
Cooper

Isaac
Johnston

2nd
Class

Thos.
McKibbensRobert
McCulloch

John
GardnerRobert
Marshal (Smith)

Daniel
McCoySamuel
McKibbins

Daniel
McGoogenSamuel
Hindeman

Thos.
StrainJames
McMillan

Given
unto my hand this 8th day of March, 1782

HENRY GRAHAM, Capt.

+++++++

A
Return 1st and 2nd Classes Captain Robert Miller?s Company
in the 4thBatt?n Washington County
Militia Ordered to Rendezvouze the 1st Day
of March, 1782.

1st
Class

John
Odonel, EnsignJoseph
Blair

Samuel
CahoeJohn
Ralston

Mathew
RitchieArthur
Campbell

Stephen
VineyardAaron
Carter

James McCreadyJno.
Reed

Barney
Carter

2nd
Class

Edward
DavisNathaniel
Cahoe

Thomas
PeircifieldWilliam
Wilson

Jno.WillsonWilliam
Orr

David
GaultDavid
Long

William
BlackJoseph
Holmes

Given under my hand
this 8th day of March, 1782ROBERT MILLER, Capt.

++++++++

A Return 1st
and 2nd Classes Captain Thomas Renkon?s
Company in the 4thBatn.WashingtonCounty
Militia Ordered to Rendezvouze the 1st Day
March, 1782 (c)

1st
Class

Hugh
Patton Daniel
McCloud

William
ShearorRobert
Hayes

William
SinclairMichael
Dohertey, Senr.

William
Martin

2nd
Class

Daniel
CurreyDaniel
Clark

William
HilbitWilliam
Hayes

John
RobertsRobert
McKnight

Jno.
Cunning

Given under my hand
the 9th Day of March, 1782THOMAS RANKIN, Capt

++++++++++

A
Return 1st and 2nd Classes Captain Charles Reed?s Company
in the 4thBatt?n

WashingtonCounty
Militia Ordered to Rendezvouze the 1st Day
of March, 1782 (c.)

1st
Class

Shadrack Stillwell, Serj?t.Adam Hickman

James
DensmoreCharles
Reno

FrederickLesnitThos.
Everet

Wm.
MillerJohn
Fosit

Francis
LesnitMiles
Willson

2nd
Class

Thos.
Young, Serj?t.Geo.
Thorp

Geo.
Reno Tobias
Mattocks

John
ArmstrongRobert
Piatt

Thos.
ConeyersWilliam
Turner

Abraham
SloverIsaac
Springer

Given Under my hand
this 9th day of March, 1782CHARLES REED, Capt.

+++++++++

A return 1st and 2nd Classes Capt. David
Reed?s Company in the 4thBatt.Washington

CountyMilitia
Ordered to Rendezouzethe 1st March, 1782.

1st
Class

James
ReedHumphrey
Aitchison

Christ?rGaunceBrice McGeehon

Mathew AitchesonRobt. Boatman

James
Kerrlin

2nd
Class

Thomas
Chenney, EnsignJohn
Coneyers

John
MontgomeryJohn
Reed

Jams. McBrideJams.
Martin

Saml.
ScottWilliam
Stevenson

John
Hudgel

Given under my hand
this 9th day of March, 1782JOHN RENEAN (?) Leut.

+++++++++

A
Return 1st and 2nd Classes Capt. Wiliam
Scott?s Company in the 4thBatt.WashingtonCounty
Militia Ordered to Rendezouzethe 1st March, 1782.

1st
Class

Wm.
Scott, Capt.Wm.
Gill

Henry
Nelson, Serjt.Aaron
Sackett

Thos.
ShannonJams.
Hannah

Walter
HillWm.
Sparks

Valentine
SennetWm.
Hervey

2nd
Class

John
Carpenter, Leut.Michael
Huff, Jun.

Richard
StevensonWilliam
Hanks

Edwd.Smith Junr.Morris West

Edwd.DavisWilliam
Harris

Charles
NorrisCharles
Stewart

David
Baily

Given under my hand
this 9th day of March, 1782WILLIAM SCOTT, Cap?n.

+++++++++

Names
added by James Simpson

An
Editor of the 1912 edition of Joseph Doddridge?s
?Notes? mentioned above added in a footnote seventeen names which he had
apparently collected. These names came from James Simpson who was a historian
of the Cross Creek area. This attribution of James Simpson is on the
attribution of Dr. Raymond Martin Bell- an authority on the names of WashingtonCounty
people during the early period.[17]
The names of the seventeen men appended to Doddridge are as follows: JOSEPH
VANCE, JOHN McWILLIAMS, CHARLES CAMPBELL, ROBERT
MARSHALL, THOMAS MARSHALL, THOMAS CHERRY, JAMES ROSS, MOSES PATTERSON, DAVID
KERR, JOHN GRAHAM, SAMUEL MERCHANT, ROBERT WALLACE, JUDGE JAMES TAYLOR, SOLOMON
VAILE, DAVID GAULT, SOLOMON URIE (died 1830), AND OBADIAH HOLMES JR. Half of
these men were from the Cross Creek area. All were included in the Mohler-Bell list by the authors of that list.

THE M-B LIST WITH ADDITIONS; SETTLEMENT,
LOCATION AND OTHER DATA;

To provide the
answer to the question as to where these men lived search was made of surviving
tax lists. A Tax list for WashingtonCounty
for 1781 arranged by township was searched for every name.18
From the experience of using the index and searching the list it is clear that
the index lists men on the wrong pages, and some men are on the list but not in
the index. The index is not complete or accurate which means that after using
the index one must also search the whole list. It is also clear that the same
man may be listed in more than one place. This is clear in looking at the
listings of Colonel Dorsey Pentecost as this man with such an unusual name is
listed in several places where he owned land. That opens up the clear
possibility for confusion if and when a man owned land in more than onetownship.The amount of land, number of animals and money valuation are
listed for every man on the tax list; but only the extremes of ownership are
reported here. Only men who had little or nothing, and those who had wealth are
pointed out. Single men without anything or single men with land will be
listed. One of these men had as many as 1500 acres in one place or township
which was the upper end while some men had no land and little more than a
horse.

While
the massacre was done in 1782 there is no tax list for that year in the Court
House at Washington,
Pa
or in publication. Louise Martin Mohler searched the
published 1783 tax list, and put the data in the work she did.[18]
That data will also be included as a second source of basic locational
information.

A
second kind of locational information is the place
these men settled on land granted to them by the state of Virginia.
The land grants tell in many instances where the land was settled. That
information is gained from lists published by Dr. Raymond M. Bell of land
grants from the State of Virginia
for land in Washington County,
Pennsylvania
in 1782.[19]

There
is a published list of warrants for the purchase of land from Pennsylvania.[20]
That list, however, does not give the location of the land by township, creek
or settlement- no location is published. Furthermore, the list is not accurate
according to Jonathan Steyer. This means that the
whole file would have to be searched by hand, and each warrant read for locational information.

It
is important to note that both Virginia
and Pennsylvania
were giving and selling land in the area before the war. This question of
loyalty added to the political confusion in the area right at this time.

Only men in the Archives lists have military
rank in this listing. Men from the Simpson list and other sources do not have
military rank in this listing as there is no primary or compelling evidence for
assuming that they were on military duty.

Pvt. Humphrey Aitchinson ? in 1783 in CecilTownship.

Pvt. Mathew Aitcheson ? Settled land in 1775 in Mt.PleasantTownship - in Hopewell Twp in 1783.

Pvt. John
Armstrong ? in Cecil, Cumberland and Robinson Townships in 1781- so one or
three men is unknown - in Cecil Township in 1783; a man of this name one of two
in this army who signed a petition to Congress late in 1782 asking for Congress
to increase defense by the army [21];
CDAR- First PA Regt b May, 1750 and d 24 Jan, 1820, Washington, PA Cemetery [so
may have been Continental soldier].; PMF- lists two men of this name- one
buried at Washington , PA and the other at the Armstrong Cemetery at
Cumberland, Greene County, PA; DAR3- lists a man of this name 1766-1844 from
Butler Co., Pa buried at Center Chapel, Wells Twp, Jefferson Co., Ohio; CWCW-
will 1820.

Pvt. David
Baily? not on these WashingtonCounty
tax or land grant lists- may be Bailey or Bally as there were men of that name
on these tax lists.

A
pension application by David Bailey S16,616 under the
law of 1832 from Washington County, Missouri says that he served 2 years with
Capt. Taylor in Colonel Black?s Regiment of Virginia; and that in 1779 he
enlisted for 3 years with Capt Isaac Taylor in Col. Montgomery?s regiment
serving along the Ohio River from the falls to the mouth and back, and with
George Rogers Clark against the Shawnee on the Big Miami- he says nothing about
1782. This man died 22
Oct, 1822 leaving no children
; and his widow was applying in 1849. This may well be the same man.[22]

Pvt. John
Baird ? in 1781 and 1783 in Somerset Township, and in Strabane
Township in 1783 the latter having land and a distillery; CDAR- killed at Fort
Duquesne [?], buried at Washington, PA Sec E, lot 190 granite headstone born 25
Nov, 1758 no date of death., PMF.

William Baxter- land granted at Harmon
or on Harmon Creek in 1775 and 1776 - not on the WashingtonCounty
tax lists- PWM- buried at Cross Creek.

Pension
application S6591 of 27 August, 1833 from Brooke Co., Virginia lists four
periods of service: 1) 3 months in 1776 in the militia under Capt. Isaac Cox,
Lt. David Steel served at Holidays Cove on the Ohio River near Harmons Creek now in Brooke Co., Va,
2) when discharged in Nov., 1776 enlisted for three years with Lt. Daniel Steel
under Col. John Gibson of the 13thVa Line
[at Fort Pitt] where he served 8 months as a Sgt. in Steel?s company, 3) in
1781 he volunteered about l month under Lieut. Col. Williamson for the
expedition to the Delaware towns where they captured 10-12 indians;
and 4) in March, 1781 served l month under Col. Williamson in the militia where
?declarant again volunteered on an expedition into
the Indian Country, against the Indians, under the command of Col. David
Williamson, a skirmish took place, and
about ninety three Indians were killed. It was the practice on such
expeditions for the militia, after they rendezvoused, to elect their officers,
and declarant served as a volunteer Lieutenant in the
expedition last mentioned.?For some
reason he made another statement 31 Dec., 1833 in which he
called this Second Williamson expedition a ?volunteer expedition.?. In the militia
service he says ?no regular troops or officers present? [meaning no troops or
offices of the Continental Army]- and, while claiming 12 months of service
exclusive of the scouting parties he says that on the last two [militia] he
furnished his own arms, ammunition, horse and provisions and never got any
compensation nor any written documentary evidence. [23]

Pvt. Charles Bevington? in Smith and NottinghamTownships in 1783- the latter being a single man only with horses.and no land.

Pvt. Charles
Bilderback? on the 1888 list only as a Private,
but later may have later been a Captain in the militia-in Cecil Township in the
1781 and 1783 tax lists.- a man of this name also listed in Strabane
in 1783 with only a horse-; EF-?This is the man who killed the Moravian named
Joseph Shabosh. the story is told that seven years
later he was captured by hostile Indians, who, on learning of his identity, put
him to death with torture?.only a legend without proof?; the identification of
this man as the man who fired the first shot wounding Shabosh
and afterwards tomahawked and scalped him was also made by the local historian,
Isaac Craig in 1881 if not earlier.[24]

Charles has been given terrible notoriety by
Allen Eckert as the man who killed the first thirteen Moravians with a mallet
with no proof that I can find..[25]
This claim has recently been increased in a film aired on public television to
claim that Charles Bilderback not only killed the
first thirteen men with a mallet, but scalped them as well. That claim is as
yet unproven even though the author has searched the index and roll 11 of the
Lyman C. Draper papers. Randall Wilkins, the author of this charge, has not
proven this contention on Charles Bilderback.[26]
While holding no brief for anything but the truth and as egregious as is this
event it seems important to have substantive evidence for charges made against
individual men.

Charles
Bilderback was well enough regarded to command a
militia company as a Captain in the ?Crawford? campaign which followed in the
summer of 1782. His fighting and leadership was apparently rewarded and
appreciated by his peers.

Jacob Bilderback?
name added by Isaac Craig in an 1881 letter as being on this expedition, [27]?
single, with nothing in 1783 in StrabaneTownship.

There are
three pension applications by men of this name on microfilm. None of them seem
possible for this man who had lived in WashingtonCounty.

Pvt. Joseph
Blair ? not on these tax or land grant lists.

Pvt. Robert
Boatman ? in Cecil Township in 1781 and 1783; one of two in this army who
signed a petition to Congress late in 1781 asking for more defense for the
region out of Fort Pitt [28].

Lewis Bonnet Senior ? from the Virginia
Panhandle [now W.Va], was called Capt. or Major, born
in Paoli, Md. 1736/7- died 1808, fought under Braddock in his defeat and in
Dunmore?s War, settled on Wheeling Creek in 1769 or 1772 with the Wetzels, married a woman named --------Wagener. His son
says: ?my father was in Williamson?s
Moravian campaign, but he took no part in murdering?.[29]The careers of Sr. and Jr. are difficult to
separate. One local historian says Lewis Bonnett
(probably Jr.) was born in 1762, from Hardy Co., Va and was pensioned for service 1779-1783. It is a
puzzle as to which one was on this expedition. [30]

Pvt. James
Bradford ? only on the 1888 list- in Greene and Strabane
Townships in the 1781 tax list and in Strabane in the
1783 list; PMF- buried at the Bradford Cemetery, Whiteley
Township, Greene County, Pa., CWCW- wills 1801 and 1811 (two men ?).

Pvt. John
Breckenridge ? only on the 1888 list- in 1783 in Peters Township- RBE of YoughaganiaCo.,Va
sold 400 acres on ?Shirtees? [Chartiers]
Creek 1 Nov, 1779..

Pvt. James
Buchanan ? only on the 1888 list- Settled in 1774 at Wheeling Creek and
West Finley Township- in Strabane Twp in 1781; EF- Pvt in Capt. Charles Bilderback?s
Co on the summer, 1782 Crawford Expedition..

Stephen Burkham?
Burkham admitted in his own memoirs to being at the.[31]
He didn?t say whether or not he killed any of the Moravians, but did name John
McCulloch and claimed that William Welch killed seven of the Moravians with the
tomahawk. Stephen of Ohio County, Virginia was born in 1762 in Berkeley Co, Va and settled in 1768 near
Beeson?s Fort [near Uniontown,
Pa],
fought under General Lachlan McIntosh out of FortPitt.
His name may have earlier been spelled Burcham.

Pvt. Thomas
Byers ? only on the 1888 list- settled in 1775 on Raccoon Creek- in DonegalTownship
in 1781 and in WestFinleyTownship
in 1783; EF- Pvt in Capt Bilderback?s
Co on the summer, 1782 Crawford Expedition, CWCW- will 1825..

Pvt. Nathaniel
Cahoe (or Kahoe)- not on these tax and land grant lists.

Pvt. Arthur
Campbell ? Settled in 1775 on Raccoon Creek ? in 1781 in Smith Twp. and in
1783 in Strabane Township, TLM 2:422 signed a
petition with men around Well?s Fort warning General Irvine of the dangerous
situation after the massacre- CDAR- ( Revolution and
later Indian Fighter) b 1753- d 21 March, 1819, buried Cross Creek Cemetery-
Claysville, PA, CWCW- will 1804.

Charles Campbell ?bought 200 acres from
Pennsylvania in 1773 in Westmoreland Co.,[32]
from the Simpson list- Cecil Township in 1781 and 1783 listed as single; EF-
died 21 March 1819 and buried in the old cemetery in Cross Creek, CWCW- wills
1819 (2) and 1832...

Lt. John
Carpenter ? settled in 1773 in Buffalo Creek area ?RBE of Ohio Co., Va.
sold 400 acres on Doldering Run, a branch of Buffalo
Creek in 1780; later moved his family across the Ohio River with other families
and was illegally settled in 1782 in the area now Ohio - was captured by
Indians on the way to Fort Pitt in Feb 1782, R. H. Richardson says that the
Carpenters- John and Nancy- were living near James Maxwell, and John kept
moving them West with other families, that in 1773 they were on Jacob?s Creek
when John was 41 years old (b 1732) , before marrying John had rescued Nancy
from having her head split by Indians , they were friends of the John McCullochs and the Tiltons and
others who were on this raid and moved into Ohio country before it was legal [33]-TLM
2:422 after the raid a John Carpenter was among the signers of a petition to
Gen. Irvine about their ?dangerous? situation - buried at Prairie Chapel Church
near Coshocton, Ohio. A man of this name is listed in 1783 in FallowfieldTownship
with animals only and no land which makes one wonder whether there were two men
by this name.

Pvt. Aaron
Carter ? not on these tax and land grant lists.

Pvt. Barney Carter ? in CecilTownship in 1781 and 1783.

Pvt. Joseph Casey ? in the M/B list but not to
be found on the Archives lists ? settled in 1774 around Buffalo Creek- in 1783
in Donegal Township without land - will not be included in this study-later
pensioned from Pa in Campbell Co, Ky in 1834 at age
71.

Ensign Thomas Chenney
? a Chenney/Chaney not on these tax or land lists.

Thomas Cherry from the Simpson list may
be the man above-settled in 1774 on Raccoon Creek - is on the 1781tax list in
Smith Twp.- and in 1783 was in Mount Pleasant Twp. DAR3 lists Thomas P. Cherry
saying he was a ranger of the frontier in Pennsylvania
dying in Va.
in 1829 and buried in Walnut Twp, Fairfield Co., Ohio...

Edward Christy ? of the Buffalo Creek
area and single, but not on the tax lists- said by EF to have been the
principal exhorter against killing the Christian Moravians ?preaching? to the
men against killing to the point that the more violent men were threatening
him? EF says he was a student of Rev. John McMillan ?he is said to have been a Presbyterian
Minister in later years- he was on this raid because the indians
had allegedly just recently killed the young woman pledged to be his wife.

We
were told in Washington,
Pa
that Edward Christy left memoirs about the massacre. An imaginary re-visit of
Captain Sam Brady [alleged also by some to have been at the massacre and the
idea refuted by others] was published years ago, but offers no proof that it is
in fact anything but an imaginary conversation, and not a memoir.[34]

Pvt. Daniel
Clark ? not on these tax and land grant lists; PMW- was in Captain Reed?s
Co of Westmoreland County militia so may have been from East of the rivers at
the time.

James Cochran ? named by
Paul W. Myers with unspecified authority ? not in these tax and land grant lists-PMA-
buried in AlleghenyCounty.

Pvt. Thomas
Coneyers? not on these WashingtonCounty
tax and land grant lists.

The
pension application of Thomas Conyers Jr.
S3200 of July, 1846 says that he served from 1776-1779 as a Private in the 8th
Pennsylvania Regt, and was at the battle of Bonbrook
[is that Boundbrook ?]. He left Pennsylvania
in 1784 and made the application from Robertson Co., Tennessee.
The film is very difficult to read.[35]

Pvt. Henry Cooper ? in SmithTownship in 1783.

Pvt. John
Cooper ? in RobinsonTownship
in 1781 and in Smith Township in 1783; RBE- of Smith Twp. will made 1794.

Pvt. John
Cotton ? on the 1888 list as a Captain which is not his Washington County
militia rank- in Strabane Twp in 1783; DAR3-may be
the man buried in Mahoning Co., Ohio- was an officer in the Connecticut line
and had lived at Belpre, Ohio so possibly a former Continental officer who
passed through Washington County.

Pvt. Frederick
Crowe ? only on the 1888 list ? not on these tax and land grant lists.

Pvt. Jno. Cunning ? as
John Cunning on the 1781 tax list in Cecil Twp.- and
in Smith Twp in 1783.

Pvt. Daniel Currey ? in BethlehemTownship in 1783.

Pvt. Edward
Davis ? not on these tax and land grant lists.

Pvt. Richard
Davis ?only on the 1888 list - in 1781 and 1783 in Somerset Township; DAR3-
may be buried in Union Co., Oh where he died at age 96.

Pvt. James
Densmore? not on these tax and land grant lists;
PMF- buried in Buffalo, PA; PMA- as James
Dinsmore 1742-1817 in the Bedford Co. militia
(preceded Westmoreland/Washington Co.), born in Ireland and first settled in
Fayette Twp., of Allegheny Co [36],
granted land on Millers Run which became in 1788 part of Allegheny County. and later in 1795 got land in Canton Twp., of WashingtonCounty,
CWCW- wills 1817 and 1831..

Pvt. Michael Doherty Sr. ? in CumberlandTownship in 1781 and CecilTownship in 1783.

Pvt. Wm. Donehey? as Wm. Donehee in CecilTownship in 1781.

Pvt. John
Edie ? only on the 1788 list- as John
Eddy in Amwell township in 1783; EF, Pvt in Capt. Charles Bilderback?s
Co on the summer, 1782 Crawford Expedition.

Pvt. Thomas
Everet? Sgt.
Thomas Everett was discharged from Capt. Benjamin Biggs Co. of Col.
Gibson?s Regiment at FortPitt
on 1 Nov, 1780
probably after three years arduous service guarding the frontier against the
Indians. [37]Listed as Everight in CecilTownship in 1783 with a horse and no land.

Pvt. John
Fosit- - also spelled Fawcet/ Fosset- settled in 1772 in Cecil
Township as John Faucet- and was in
Cecil Township in 1783- an early Methodist according to M/B.

Lieut. Hugh
Forbes ? only on the 1888 list- in Somerset Twp in 1783; EF says he was a
Lieutenant in Capt. Rankin?s Co on the summer 1782 Crawford Expedition.; CDAR-
buried at Grove United Presbyterian Church in West Middleton, PA on Rte 18.;
PMF says buried at Buffalo, PA, CWCW- will 1821 and 1837 (two men?).

A
barely readable pension application made at Pittsburgh in 1832 #S2215 says that
he served from 1776 for 3 years as a private [in a Continental line] and was at
the battles of Stillwater and Saratoga, [in the Northern Army] and also in
Crawford?s campaign- but it doesn?t mention this expedition.[38]

Pvt. William Forbes ? only on the 1888 list- in Strabane,
Canton and RobinsonTownships in 1783. How many men of
this name is unknown.

A
barely readable pension application S5410 says he served with Capt. Samuel
Brady along the Allegheny River
and one tour to the Munsey towns so he had apparently
served with a Continental line.[39]

Pvt. John
Gardner ? in Smith Township in 1783; buried at Cross Creek according to
Simpson [40]-
he died 10 Sept, 1821 at 64 years, married Elizabeth Clark who died 1 Oct, 1853
at age 95 years, CWCW- will made 1821..

David Gault-
from the Simpson list ? in Cecil Township in 1781 and in 1783- in the latter tanyard is next to his name which may mean he ran or owned
a tanyard, but was a single man without land- so was
probably a tenant; EF says he was from Cross Creek Twp.

Pvt. Christopher
Gaunce? CecilTownship
in 1783.

Pvt. William
G.Gill? in Hopewell Township in 1783; CDAR- said
to have been in the Northumberland Co. Militia, b 1747- d 12 June, 1802 and buried
at Mt. Hope Cemetery near West Middleton, PA, CWCW- will 1802. .

Capt. Henry
Graham ? settled in 1774 on Cross Creek ? in Hopewell Township in 1783-TLM
2:422 signed a petition from the area of Wells Blockhouse just after the
massacre apprising Gen. Irvine of the dangerous situation,-
PMF- buried at Cross Creek according to Simpson Henry Graham died 31 Jan, 1827
at 87 years and his wife, Mary, died 29 Nov 1814 age 70 [41];
was an elder in the Cross Creek Church from 1792 till his death and a Justice
of the Peace of Washington County..

John Graham - from the Simpson list-
Cross Creek Twp in 1783; verified by EF, CWCW-will made 1830 and 1831.

Pvt. Wm.
Hanks ? not on these tax and land grant lists.

Pvt. Jams Hanna ? as James in Strabane Twp in
1783.

Pvt. William
Harris ? not on these tax and land grant lists; PMW- was a Private in the
frontier rangers of Westmoreland County so may have been from east of the
rivers at the time.

Pvt. Robert Hays ? as Robert Hayes in Cecil and PetersTownships in 1781 and in CecilTownship in 1783.Buried
in AlleghenyCounty.

Pvt. William
Hays ? three such listed in 1781 being in Cecil, Donegal and MorganTownships
- the one in Donegal having no land? and in 1783 only in CecilTownship;
RBE- Wm. Hayes will 1795, and CWCW has a will in 1835. .

Pvt. Robert
Henry ? only on the 1888 list- both in 1781 and 1783 in Strabane
Township; EF-an early settler of that section of old Strabane
now known as North Strabane Twp; WJC- an 1787 land
grant., CWCW- will in 1829.

Apparently
not the pension applicant S1830 although with an extensive military career and
a pension application made from WashingtonCounty,
Penn when he was 77 years old in 1832. The applicant enlisted from Lancaster
Co, Pa and says that in 1778 he moved to Augusta Co, Va and was drafted into the Virginia
line. In the fall of 1781 he was in Augusta Co, Va and when drafted went to fight in eastern Virginia
at Jamestown
and Williamsburg.
The massacre expedition could have been worked in, but he does not mention it.[42]

Pvt. William
Hervey? in Hopewell Township in 1783; CDAR- a
William Harvey is buried in Montour Cemetery near Montour, PA, Rte 22; 1758-
1838, CWCW lists a will of 1816.

Pvt. William
Hilbit ? not in these tax and land grant lists;
PMW- was a Pvt. in Rueben Kemp?s Co of Westmoreland Co. militia so may have
been from East of the rivers at the time..

Pvt. Walter
Hill ? in 1781 and 1783 in Hopewell
Township- TLM 2:422 petitioner with others from around Well?s Fort just after
the massacre advising Gen. Irvine of the dangerous situation.

Pvt. Samuel
Hindeman? In Hopewell Township in 1783; RBE-
probably the Sam Hineman
who bought 60 acres on Cross Creek in 1783; the local historian, Isaac Craig,
says in a letter to another local historian, Boyd Crumrine,[43]-?
a man named Hindman
was said by General Richard Butler to be one of the worst;?. this being the
only man of that name onthe list we
have to assume he was talking of Samuel Hindeman/Hindman.-
butwhat does ?one of the worst?;
mean ?that he killed the most or was one of the most vicious? General
Richard Butler was a well respected Continental officer who as a Colonel was at
FortPitt
near the time of this expedition, and became Indian Agent immediately
thereafter so he would have had reason to have been paying attention.

Obadiah Holmes Jr. from the Simpson
list- in 1781 was listed in Cecil
Twp with no land - he admitted in old age that he had been on the raid and
claimed to be among the non-killers.[44]
It is said that he rescued an Indian boy on this expedition, and brought him
home to live for a few years. O.H. died in 1839 at the age of 96 and is buried
in Allegheny County; EF says he was an Ensign in Capt Daniel Leet?s Co on Crawford?s Expedition in the summer of 1782,
died in Pittsburgh in June, 1834 aged seventy-four; buried at Woodville, Pa
(two dates of death reported for the same man ?)..

Pvt. David
Hopkins ? only on the 1888 list ? in 1781 was single with land in NottinghamTownship;
and was in NottinghamTownship
in 1783.

Pvt. David
Hosack? only on the 1888 list- in 1782 was
living in Ohio County,
Virginia
(now W. Va).

Pvt. James
How ? in HopewellTownship
in 1783; DAR3- may be the James Howe d 1808 bur at Fairfield, Warren Co., OH..

Pvt. John
Hudgel? not on these tax and land grant lists.

Pvt. Michael Huff Jr. ? in Hopewell Twp with
no land in 1781 and in Hopewell Twp. in 1783.

Pvt. James
Huston- only on the 1888 list; single with land in 1781 in Strabane Twp.; EF- son of William Huston, the first white
settler in Catfish Camp (now Washington, Pa.) and in Capt. Daniel Leet?s Co. on the summer, 1782 Crawford Expedition.

Pvt. William
Irwin ?only on the 1788 list - in Strabane Twp in
1781 and in Canton and StrabaneTowship
in 1783 ? the latter being listed as Irvin; EF-a settler in Canton Township;
WJC- 1793 land grant, CWCW- has a will of 1822.

Pvt. Eleaser Jenkins ?
on the 1888 list only- in Bethlehem Township in 1783; WJC- 1793 land grant,
CWCW lists a will of 1822.

Pvt. Isaac Johnston ? in 1781 in MorganTownship.

The
pension applications of 1818/1820 of Isaac Johnston S36642 of Bullitt Co, Kentucky
is likely to be the man. He claimed to have served three years under Colonel
John Gibson. He said that he had served in Capt. Springer?s Co.
of the 7thVa Regt stationed at FortPitt.
He also made reference to Pittsburgh
1779 and the company of Capt. Samuel Brady with scouting parties against the
Indians to the close of the war. He was 72 years old in 1820 with a daughter of
unknown age and a son born 12
Oct., 1799.[45]

Pvt. Dennis
Jones ? only on the 1888 list ? not on these tax and land grant lists.

David Kerr ? from the Simpson list.- not on these tax and land grant lists; EF says probably
from CrossCreekTownship.

Pvt. James
Kerrlin? or Curlin ?
not listed either way on these tax or land grant lists.

Pvt. William
Ledlie? from the 1888 list- Wm. Ladley settled in 1774 in WheelingTownship;
RBE- may be the Wm. Ladler who
bought land on Middle Wheeling Creek in 1778; CDAR? a Wm. Leadlie
b 1747 and d 5
Jan, 1835 is buried in the Paris Cemetery- Rte
22, Washington County,
Penn.

Pvt. Daniel
Leet ? from the 1888 list only- settled land in
Franklin and Chartiers Creek in 1773 and at Catfish
Camp [now Washington, Pa] in 1776- is said to have been a Revolutionary officer
(other than militia) ? was a Sub- Lieutenant of Washington County appointed 2
April, 1781 but resigned that office on 30 March, 1782 - is listed in Cecil
Township in 1783; RBE sold 120 acres on ?Shirtee?
Creek [Chartiers] in 1784;? taxed in Pitt Township of
Allegheny County in 1791 ?is buried in Allegheny County. As sub-lieutenant would have been along with Matthew Ritchie the second
highest ranking Washington County militia officer on the expedition going as a
private when he had the militia rank of Major;

EF says? a surveyor by profession; settled
near Catfish Camp in 1776 after which he served in the Continental Line, and
with General McIntosh at Fort Laurens in 1778; Deputy Surveyor General in Yohogania, now Washington County; surveyed in this county
in 1780 under Virginia certificates; Brigade Major in Crawford?s Expedition;
commanded a division after Colonel Burton was wounded; died 18 June, 1830, at
the home of a daughter at Sewickly Bottom;? PMA- says
that Daniel Leet was a friend of General Washington
and a Major in the Continental Army where he had a distinguished career. It is
fully possible that this Daniel Leet was a surveyor
for the Ohio Company of Virginia
hoping to ensure land for top men of Virginia
including George Washington and George Mason.[46]

Could
this be the same man who is credited with this career as an officer in the
Revolution: ?acted as quartermaster from 1 Jan,1777
to 1 Oct, 1777
and as paymaster from this latter date to 21 Sept, 1778, then as
Brigade-Major for three months, to 21 Dec, 1778. He received
5333 1/2 acres of land from the State of Virginia
(as bounty).?[47]

Forrest says in the
material quoted above that he was from Bordentown,
New Jersey
and had married Wilhelmina Carson. This seems to conflict with information from
Louise M. Mohler which says that the Leets were from Berkley Co, Va.

A
remark from an 1881 letter from the local historian, Isaac Craig to historian
Boyd Crumrine, [48]
has to be passed along although not otherwise corroborated ?I have heard that Daniel Leet
was the man who first used the mallet.? If this means that the man with the
second highest political and military position on the raid going as a Private
began the killing with a cooper?s mallet as this alleges he set a very bad
example for most of the men who had less prestige. Is this the unnamed man who
actually killed 13 people before he quit as reported in WashingtonCounty
histories?

If Daniel Leet committed that disgraceful first murdering it is no
wonder that he later resigned his position as a Sub-Lieutenant of Washington
County. It is also no wonder that the murders were done or that the story of
the massacre was covered up from the public. Daniel Leet
and the other influential men on this expedition who were politically and
militarily powerful whom other men would either have followed or by whom they
would be intimidated.

Pvt. Frederick
Lesnit - listed in CecilTownship
in 1781 as single with nothing ? and in Cecil in 1783.

Pvt. John
Little ? from the 1888 list only? not on these tax and land grant lists;
bought 300 acres in Westmoreland Co from Pennsylvania in 1776,[49]
PMA-a former Private in the Fifth Pennsylvania Regiment, Continental Line under
General Anthony Wayne; according to Crumrine[50]
s/o James, family from Ireland worked a farm and spent the winter at McDonald?s
blockhouse [near present town of McDonald], RBE- John Little of Youghania Co., Va sold land on Harmons Run in 1780; John was an elder of the Mt. Pleasant
Church, and had land in Strabane or South Strabane Twp.

Pvt. David Long ? on the 1781 tax list in
Greene, Robinson and StrabaneTownships. In Robinson and Strabane
without land so location is indeterminate; RBE- David Long of Washington Co.,
Pa in 1783 sold 200 acres on ?Shirtee? Creek [Chartiers] and sold land and a house in WashingtonCounty
in 1784.

Pvt. John
Marshal ? settled land in 1774 on Cross Creek ? in the 1781 tax list there
was a John Marshall in HopewellTownship;
this man is alleged to be the brother of the CountyLieutenant,
James Marshel. There is puzzling spelling with this
name which makes certainty difficult; RBE- sold 202 acres in WashingtonCounty
in 1784; CDAR- a John Marshall who d 1832 is buried in MontourCemetery
at Montour,
PA.

John
Marshall pensioned in 1818 age 69 years old pension number S41797 living in
Washington County. Pa.
He said that he served in 1776 for 2 months in the 2nd PA B?n, and late in 1776 he served in the 13th PA
Regt and was wounded at Brandywine,
and was later discharged to care for his brother?s big family Nov-.Dec., 1778.[51]
There was no mention of militia service or the Massacre- if this man was on
it.

Pvt. Robert Marshal ? the Return says Smith
in parentheses which may mean Smith Township- in the 1781 tax list there is a
man with this spelling in Amwell Township with
nothing- in 1783 in Peters Township; a reputable local historian says that
Robert Marshel was a brother of the County Lieutenant
[in that case he was probably born in Ireland as was his brother] and was on
this raid. but expressed his regret all
his life, -RBE- bought 100 acres
on the middle fork of Cross Creek in 1784;was an elder in the Buffalo Church. [52]
.

Robert Marshall- from the Simpson list with two lls-
in 1783 in Cross Creek and HopewellTownships.Crumrine[53]
lists a Robert Marshelfrom Buffalo as on the raid but this is a puzzler- he is listed in 1783 in
Hopewell Township with no land and only a horse; a man of this spelling is
buried at Cross Creek (white, 1972) died 26 Nov, 1832 in his 74th
year, and his stone apparently says he
was one of the 18 men under Colonel Williamson who formed a second line in
favor of saving the Moravian Indians from massacre at Gnadenhutten.?. THIS COULD BE THE SAME MAN LISTED ABOVE . It is a puzzle whether there were
two men of this name on the expedition, CWCW one of these men made a will in
1832.

Pvt.
Thomas Marshall ? from the 1888
list- HopewellTownship in 1783.

Thomas
Marshel? from the Simpson list ? EF- says ?CountyLieutenant
of WashingtonCounty;
an early settler in CrossCreekTownship,
and proprietor of Marshel?s Fort; an elder in CrossCreekChurch
from 1792 till dismissed in 1827 when he moved to Ohio
where he died in 1839 aged ninety-six years..?[54]

There was a Thomas Marsheal
in 1781 in HopewellTownship.
All three spellings may be the same man. People of this name had different ways
of spelling their family name.

Pvt. Jams
Martin ? a James Martin settled
land in Hopewell
and Buffalo
in 1774 and on Millers Run in 1775. listed in both Cecil and Hopewell Townships
in 1781 so could be one or two men - in Hopewell Twp in 1783, CWCW- wills 1814
and 1827.

Pvt. William
Martin ? in 1781 listed in Peters and Smith township ? the one in Peters
being single and having no land so two men and in Hopewell Twp in 1783.

Pension application S5736 of Booths Creek, Hampshire Co, Va. at the time of the application in 1832.
The applicant served in the Ft. Pitt Company of Captain B. Biggs, Colonel
Gibson?s Virginia Regiment till the end of the war- 4 ½ years. After being
discharged he may have gone on this expedition. Should this be the same man he
would have been on active duty while going on this militia expedition.
The pension application says on the way
home [from the Fort Pitt area] he was fired upon by Indians and shot in both
thighs, both legs and one arm were broken- several bones and causing amputation
of one leg, he moved in 1791 to Hampshire Co., Va
where he died 3 July, 1846. He was born 30 Nov, 1762 at Romney, Hampshire
County, Virginia
the son of George. His middle name may have been Judson. [55]

Pvt. John
Masterson - SomersetTownship
in 1783.

John
Masterson was pensioned in 1832 at 73 years old number S16460 living then in
Nelson Co., Kentucky.
He says that he was drafted in 1777 or 1778 for 6 months as a Pvt. out of
Washington County, Pa into Colonel Crawford?s Regiment, Pennsylvania Line. He
was born 1752 in Fairfax County,
Va.
and had lived on Pigeon Creek in Washington
County, PA.[56]
There was no mention of being on the Massacre expedition.

Pvt. William Masterson ? in 1781 and 1783 in
SomersetTownship.

Pvt. Zachariah
Masterson ? only on the 1888 list - on the 1783 list in Somerset Township
with horses and no land.

Pvt. Tobias
Mattocks ? settled land in 1775 on Raccoon Creek - taxed in 1783 in
Robinson Township and in Moon Township of Allegheny Co in 1791 as Tobias Mattox
(which could be the same place).

Pvt. Jams
McBride ? as James settled land on Raccoon Creek in 1775- in 1781 taxed in
both Cecil and Robinson Townships but had no animals in Robinson - taxed in
Cecil Township in 1783; charged in 1784 by General George Washington for
squatting on Washington?s land in Cecil Township.[57]-,
CWCW- lists a will in 1827.

Pvt. Thomas
McClain ? from the 1888 list- not in the 1781 and 1783 tax lists but well
to do- in Pitt Township of Allegheny Co in 1791.

Pvt. William
McClain ? from the 1888 list ? taxed in StrabaneTownship
in 1783.

Pvt. Daniel
McCloud ? not on these tax and land grant lists.

Pvt. Robert
McComb? from the 1888 list ? in Somerset
Township in 1781 - in Cross Creek Township in 1783; EF- ? a soldier of the
Revolution (Continental line ?) , settled in Cross Creek Township where he died
in 1827.?

Pvt. Joseph
McConnell ?from the 1888 list - buried in AlleghenyCounty

Pvt. Daniel
McCoy ? in 1781 there were two in Cecil and one in Smith Townships so
location is indeterminate.

Jane,
widow of Daniel McCoy of West Finley Township of Washington County made
application W965. He had served, she claimed, in the 8thPennsylvania
line which would have been at FortPitt.. Seven children were listed.[58]

Pvt. James
McCready? in RobinsonTownship
in 1781

John McCulloch ? named by Stephen Burkham as being there as a Private when he was at other
times an officer in the Militia ? a well known frontiersman living in Ohio Co, Va or West of the Ohio River illegally at the time, he
attended the major conference with General Irvine at the fort after Irvine?s
return as a representative from Ohio County [59]-
his dates 1770-1821 married Mary Bukey 1757-1846;
Mary BukeyMCCulloch d/o
Jemima Dunn and John Bukey (her sister married Rev.
John Doddridge). John McCulloch was later a civil magistrate in Ohio
County, Va
living near Short Creek.

Pvt. Joseph
McCullogh? from the 1888 list - buried in AlleghenyCounty.
the name has a variety of spellings in this area.

Pvt. Robert
McCullogh? not on these tax and land grant lists.

Pvt. Brice
McGeehon? in 1781 and 1783 in Smith Township; a Brice McGeechen
was charged by General Washington in 1784 with squatting on Washington?s land;[60]
WJC- 1785 land grantee half interest as executor of John Milligan..

Pvt. Samuel
McKibbinsas McKibbin
in HopewellTownship
in 1783 without land, RBE- bought 300 acres on Mon (Montours?)
Run in 1780 and sold land on Mon (Montours?) Run at
the narrows in 1784; Simpson [61]
reports that this man was buried at Cross Creek 27 Sept, 1836 in his 77th
year, and was an old Indian fighter and veteran of the Indian Wars and an elder
in the Cross Creek Church from 1807 till his death 27 Sept,1836,
and his wife, Mary, having died 26 June, 1833 in her 75th year is
also buried at Cross Creek .

Pvt. Thomas
McKibbins ? in HopewellTownship
in 1783 according to Crumrine 728 lived next to
Colonel James Marshel, .

Pvt. Robert
McKnight ?single in CecilTownship
in 1783.

Pvt. James
McMillan ? a man named McMullan settled in 1775 in Pike Township ? a
Private James McMullan was discharged at Fort Pitt 13 Nov, 1780 at Fort Pitt
from Capt. Biggs Co of Col. GibsonsVa Regiment probably after three years arduous service
against the Indians,[62]
was a brother of the Reverend Jamaes McMillan of Chartiers Creek; CDAR- buried in Washington County..

John McWilliams from the Simpson list ?
settled land in 1775 around Buffalo Creek ? in 1781 in DonegalTownship;
EF says he was a general in the militia of WashingtonCounty,
but I find no evidence that there was a rank higher than Colonel in the militia, CWCW- lists a will in 1837.

Samuel Merchant ? from the Simpson list
? settled land on Raccoon Creek in 1774 - in 1781 in Donegal Township; EF-
settled in Hanover Twp in 1778, but driven away by Indians; returned in 1779
and remained until his death presumably then in Washington County..

Jacob Miller Jr. - admitted later in
life to being on this raid ? of Swiss ethnicity- born in 1762 at Hagerstown,
Md. and died in August, 1830 at age 67/11/24, married Anne Mary Leffler, was a noted Indian fighter- settled land in 1771
on the Dutch Fork area of Wheeling Creek in Donegal Twp with other families of germanic origin where he is listed in the 1781 tax list;[63] ?Jacob Miller saw the folly of the attack
[on the Moravian Indians] and refused to be a party to it and stood aside;?
this role for Jacob Miller as a non-participant is verified by Captain Henry
Jolly ?a man of that time and place- says ?when it was decided the Moravians
must die, Miller and a few others tried to get out of hearing, but [JMJ is
quoted as saying] ? the death screams out went us?;[64]
RBE- estate accounts of the Senior J.M. 1786 is puzzling with J. JR. of age and
the minor children (Jacob, John, Polly, Adam, Catherine, Frederick, Piler, Henry) and a widow, Mary; the Sr. was allegedly
killed and scalped by Indians in 1808 so this is a bit of a puzzler.

Capt. Robert
Miller ? settled land in 1772 on Chartiers Creek
which was in Cecil township in 1781 and 1783.

It
may not be the same man, but Robert Miller made a pension application from
Augusta Co., Va claiming
that he had been an indian spy on several occasions
and a First Sgt. of Virginia troops under Captains Robert McCrory,
John McCrory, Thomas Hughart
and David Gwinn. He served three months in 1780 and three months in 1781 while
in Kentucky.

Pvt. William Miller - men of this name in both Bethlehem and PetersTownships in 1781 both having a little land so inconclusive ? only
in Hopewell Twp in 1783, CWCW- lists a will in 1802.

Pvt. John
Montgomery ? was listed as single with nothing in 1781 in PetersTownship;
RBE- John Montgomery of Youghania Co., Va sold 400 acres on Kings Creek (
probablyWashingtonCounty)
in 1780.

Pvt. Thomas
Montgomery ? in Strabane Township in 1781 - and
in Strabane Township in 1783 ? an elder in the
Presbyterian Church who died in New Athens, Ohio.

Pvt. John
Munn Jr. ? two men of this name in Nottingham Twp. in 1781 one single ? and
in Nottingham Twp in 1783 , one of these men may have
been a Captain in the Westmoreland and Washington County Militia on other
expeditions, CWCW- will listed for 1802.

Sgt. Henry
Nelson ? settled land in 1773 in Independence and Buffalo Creek - in
Hopewell Twp 1783 TLM 2:421 petitioner with others from around Well?s Fort
after the massacre advising Gen. Irvine of the dangerous situation for the
settlers.

Pvt..Charles Norris ? living illegally west of the Ohio River in 1782.[65]

Ensign John
Odonel- there were John O?Donalds in 1781 in both Amwell and Cecil Townships ? the one in Amwell
being single ? he was listed in Cecil Township in 1783.

Pvt. Thomas
Orr ? settled 400 acres of land in 1775 in Middle Wheeling Twp, Ohio
County, Virginia (now W. Va.); this from Alice Walker, a descendent,[66] ?
tradition says he was born about 1749 in Adams Co., Pa, married Margaret
Creighton (d/o John and Anne Creighton) in 1789 at Col. David Williamson?s
Fort, was on the ?Crawford? expedition as well and may have been a Continental
soldier (see DAR), and died 31 Oct, 1835; ? Thomas told his descendents that he
was on this expedition, but did not participate in the killing of the Moravian
Indians.

Pvt. William
Orr ?Private Wm. Orr was discharged at Fort Pitt 2 Nov, 1780 from the
Company of Capt. Biggs, Col. Gibson?s Va. Regiment probably after serving three
tough years against the Indians,[67]
is listed in 1783 in Cecil Township, a man of this name had land next Thomas
Orr above in Ohio Co., Va bought in 1793 and sold in
1796 (according to Alice Walker above who has tried unsuccessfully to establish
a relationship between these two Orrs).

Pvt. Andrew
Pass ? only on the 1888 list.- not on these tax
and land grant lists; EF says he was a Pvt in Capt.
Munn?s Co on the summer, 1782 Crawford Expedition; PMW- says that he was in
Capt. Munn?s Co. of Westmoreland County militia so may have been from East of
the rivers at the time and followed Captain Munn as a loyal soldier.

Moses Patterson ? from
the Simpson list - not on these tax or land grant lists.

Pvt. Hugh
Patton ? in CecilTownship
in 1781 and 1783; RBE- bought 150 acres on the west branch of Chartiers Creek in 1783.

Pvt. Thomas
Peircifield- not on these tax and land grant
lists.

Pvt. Robert
Piatt ? was at that time living in Ohio
County, Virginia
(now W. Va.).

Pvt. John
Pollock ? on the 1888 list ? settled land in 1772 on Crooked Run ? in
Hopewell Township in 1781 and in Strabane Township in
1783; RBE- Thomas and John Pollock sold 188 acres on Cross Creek in 1783 to
William Pollock; EF says probably from that section of old Strabane
Township which is now North Strabane Twp; WJC- 1785
land grant., CWCW- will listed of 1833..

Pvt. William
Price ? settled land in Chartiers Creek area in
1774 ? in Hopewell Township in 1783; RBE- of Washington County, Pa., sold 900
acres in Washington County in 1783; DAR3- may be the man b 1744 living in 1840
buried at Barnes Cemetery, Seal Twp., Pike Co., Ohio.

Pvt. William
Quigley ? only on the 1888 list ? in Nottingham Township in 1783; EF says
that he was a Pvt. in Munn?s Co on the summer, 1782 Crawford Expedition.

Pvt. John
Ralston ? in 1781 listed in CecilTownship
as single with nothing, CWCW- will listed for 1816 and 1828.

Capt. Thomas
Rankin ? on the 1888 list as Sgt. ? settled land in 1774 on Raccoon Creek-
two are listed in 1781 in Cecil and Nottingham Townships the one in Cecil
having no land ? making this indeterminate- listed in Cecil Twp 1783 as Capt.-
a big land owner, there is a single man of this name with nothing much in
Nottingham in 1783- one of the most affluent men on this expedition; EF
identifies most of this and says he was a Captain in Crawford?s Expedition ?a
Thomas died in Cadiz, Ohio; RBE- there was also a man of this name of Smith
Twp. who made a will in 1793; DAR3- may be the man born 1760 and buried in
Rankin Cemetery, Moorefield Twp., Harrison Co., OH.

Pvt. William
Rankin ? only on the 1888 list ? settled land in 1770 on Raccoon Creek ? in
1781 two are listed one being single with nothing in Nottingham Township and
the other with 1300 acres and (comparatively land wealthy) in Smith township-
one is listed in 1783 in Mt. Pleasant Township and is buried in Allegheny
County; EF says he was an early settler in Mount Pleasant Township; DAR3- to make
the burial puzzling a man of this name b 1748 in Winchester, Va is buried in Paint Twp., Fayette Co, Oh who was ? a
scout on Frontier Pa and Va?. see
family history there, CWCW- will listed for 1793.

Capt. Charles
Reed ? settled land in 1773 on Miller?s Run ? not listed in either tax
list.

Capt. David
Reed ? in Cecil township in both 1781 and 1783; RBE- bought 318 acres on
Millers Run (Cecil Township) in 1782; charged by General George Washington in
1784 for squatting on Washington?s land in Cecil Township,[68]
CWCW- will listed for 1824.

Pvt. James
Reed ? two are listed in 1781 in Cecil Township one having only a horse
?both are listed in Cecil Township in 1783 and there is one in Fallowfield Township, CWCW- wills listed for 1817 and 1831.

James
Reed from Washington County,
Pa
was pensioned as destitute under the law of 1818 number S40324 when he was 68
years old. He said that he was a Private in Colonel St. Clairs
Regiment of the Pennsylvania Line serving from Jan, 1776 to April, 1777. In
that service was in the Battle
of the Thames,
at Crown Point,
Ticonderoga
and Philadelphia.
He further says that he served ?two terms of duty in the militia against the indians on the Susquehanna,? but makes no reference to the
Massacre.[69]

Pvt. John Reed ?RBE- John Reed of Youghagania Co., Pa sold 400 acres on the North branch of
Cross Creek in 1779, also bought 98 acres on Bushey
Run in 1781, and bought 400 acres on Millers Run [drains into Chartiers Creek] in 1780; there are five listed in various
townships in 1781 and six in 1783 making this indeterminate; John Reed Esq.
taxed in 1783 in Cecil Twp., a John Reed Esquire charged in 1784 by General
George Washington for squatting on Washington?s land in Cecil township;[70]
WJC- a 1785 land grant and one for J.R. Jr. 1786, CWCW- wills listed for 1814
and 1817.

Lt.JohnRenean ? signed for Captain Reed ? a
completely unlisted name.

Pvt. Charles Reno ? in CecilTownship in 1783.

Pvt. George
Reno ? may be George Runo of Cecil Twp 1783..

Pvt. John Riddel?
as Riddle in both Amwell Township with land and Fallowfield Township without land in 1781 - and in Strabane Township in 1783, EF says he was a Pvt in Capt. Charles Bilderback?s
Co on the summer 1782 Crawford Expedition; buried in Allegheny County, CWCW-
will listed 1818 for John Riddle.

Pvt. Samuel Riddel ?
or Riddle in Robinson Township in 1781 and in Strabane
Township in 1783; EF says that he was a Pvt. in Capt. Charles Bilderback?s Co on the Crawford Expedition; DAR3- may be
the man 1759-1825 buried in Mahoning Co., Oh who was a ?Pvt
in Rangers of Washington and Westmoreland Co.?

Pvt. Matthew
Ritchie ? settled land in 1772 in Chartiers/Cecil
Township; and Harmon; and in 1774 in Tomlinson.- in 1781 Matthew Richey Esquire
living in Cecil Township with 1000 acres, was
appointed 24 Dec, 1781 a Sub-lieutenant of Washington County so with Daniel Leet was the second highest ranking militia officer in this
army listed as going as a private when he was in fact of higher rank, and one
of the richer men on this expedition, Matthew Ritchie is listed on the rosters
above as being a private in the 1st Class (or squad) of Captain
Miller?s Company so he is a prime example of that phenomenon. CWCW- will listed for 1798.

Pvt. John
Roberts - in 1781 in Greene Township with a horse and no land.; RBE- sold
444 acres on Roberts Home Plantation in 1780 ( township or place not identified
by RBE); CWCW- will listed in 1821.

Pvt. James
Roney? a surveyor who settled land in 1774 on
Buffalo and Wheeling Creeks - in 1781 in Smith Township ? in 1783 in Donegal
Township; EF says ?an early settler in West Finley Township and a brother of
Hercules Roney, the proprietor of Roney?s
blockhouse [now Finley Twp], both were chainmen for Colonel William Crawford
when he surveyed land grants under the old Virginia Certificates."; CDAR-
buried in Washington County; RBE- will 1791 and estate accounts 1792 leaving a
son , Hercules.

James Ross ? from the Simpson List ? in
1781 listed in Smith and Strabane Townships the
latter being without land ? as an educated young man he was teaching for
Reverend James McMillan at the time of this raid [71]?-
however, due to the two listings in 1781 this is indeterminate as to township
of residence; EF says ?also a private in Captain McGihan?s
Company on Crawford?s Expedition, taught school in McMillan?s log Academy near
Canonsburg, admitted to the bar in 1784, member of the Constitutional
Convention of 1790; one of the three commissioners appointed by Federal
government to meet the Whisky Insurrection leaders in 1794, United States
Senator, died 27 Nov, 1847 aged eighty-five years,? That is an important identification by a local historian if there were
two men by this name in 1781; RBE- says J.R. of Cecil estate accounts 1786
leaving son, James- may be the father of the more well known younger man; Kohn
says that James Ross in 1794 was a ?trusted confidant of President Washington.?[72].

There is a
bit of a puzzle here as a man of this name is buried in Mahoning Co, Oh, who in
DAR3 says he served in Washington Co., Pa, was age 77 in 1833.

A
James Ross says in his pension application that in April of 1782 having served
in the Western part of Pa, ?I was drafted under Capt. Wm. Scott and marched to
a place called Mingo Bottom on the Ohio River below Beemor,
we were stationed here to protect the persons and property of a number of our
countrymen from the plunder and depredations of the Indians?, served 1 month
and then volunteered with 400 others to go to Sandusky on the Crawford cmpg. He didn?t mention this expedition in March.

Pvt. Aaron
Sackett ? not in these Washington County tax and
land grant lists- TLM 2:422 a petitioner with others from around Well?s Fort
after the massacre advising Gen. Irvine of the ?dangerous? situation there for
the settlers,- in 1783 was single in Manallen
Township, Westmoreland County; PMW- was an Ensign in the Westmoreland County
militia.

Pvt. Samuel
Scott ? in 1781 listed as single with no land in Cecil Township and with
land in Nottingham so identification is inconclusive; RBE estate accounts 1794
leaving a wife, Elizabeth, and minor children, John and Jean and RBE lists a
sale of land in Washington County on Mingo Creek in 1784 by Samuel Scott of Rostrover Township of Westmoreland County.

Capt. William
Scott ? in 1781 is listed in both Hopewell
and Nottingham Townships so is inconclusive, CWCW- will listed
in 1829 and 1836.

Pvt. Valentine
Sennet- not on these tax or land grant lists.

Pvt. Thomas
Shannon ? settled land in 1772 on Buffalo Creek and Cross
Creek/Independence - in 1781 and 1783 in Hopewell Township, TLM 2-422 a
petitioner with others from around Well?s Fort just after the massacre advising
Gen. Irvine of the ?dangerous? situation there- CWCW- will listed for 1814.

Capt. Samuel
Shearer ? from the 1888 list only as Captain with a question mark as if the
editors were not sure ?there is no proof of that rank or his presence in the
area- not on these tax or land grant lists.

Pvt. William
Shearor?as Wm Shearer is in 1781 in HopewellTownship
and 1783; PMF- says buried at Cross Creek.

Pvt. William
Sinclair in 1781 in Cecil Township and in 1783 in Donegal Township; RBE-
bought 294 acres on the West fork of ?Shirtee? (Chartiers) Creek in 1783 and W.S. Jr. bought land at the
same place and year; CWCW- will listed for 1820.

Dave Slaughter ? named in Forrest?s
Washington County History [EF] with an important and courageous volunteer role
in swimming the cold river to bring over a sugar trough so the men could send
over their clothes dry after swimming the cold Muskingum
River, not on these tax and land lists.

Pvt. Abraham
Sloverin 1773 he was in Pitt Township, Bedford
County which was around Ft. Pitt, in Feb, 1775 he was on a committee to lay out
a road from Ft. Dunmore to Raccoon Creek,[73]
he is not in either the tax or the land grant lists- was the brother of John Slover who was one of Crawford?s guides in the ill-fated
summer of 1782 expedition ? from around New River, Virginia where their family
was massacred before this by Indians.[74]

Pvt. Edward
Smith Jr. since the Jr. was used in the return would suggest that his
father was in the neighborhood - an Edward Smith settled in 1772 on Buffalo
Creek and Independence - an Edward Smith was taxed in Rosstraver
Twp of Bedford County in 1773 and in Pitt Twp of Allegheny County in 1791.- but not on the lists being used here; RBE- estate
accounts 1790 leaving son, Isaac.

Pvt. William
Sparks ? settled land in 1773 in Buffalo
and Independence
? three listings in 1781- two in Hopewell
and one in Fallowfield Townships- and in 1783 in StrabaneTownship.

Pvt. Isaac
Springer ? not on these tax or land grant lists, PMW- was in Capt. Joseph Cisna?s Co. of Westmoreland militia- so may have been from
East of the rivers.

Pvt. James
Steel ? from the 1888 list only ? in 1781 list in both Cumberland and Strabane Townships neither having land so location of his
home is indeterminate- and in Strabane Township in
1783.

The
pension application of a James Steel #S4882 made 7 June, 1832
where he was living in Hocking Co., Ohio.
He was born 80 years previous in Ireland.
Served in 1776 for 5 months as a private under Capt. William
Steel, Col. Cunningham and General Hand; and 2 months in 1776 under Capt.
Marshall and Col. Miles.and in 1779 had gone
to Washington County,
Pa;
and then to Fairfield Co., Ohio[75].

Pvt. Richard
Stevenson ? not on these tax or land grant lists.

Pvt. William
Stevenson ? in Peters Township in 1783; a William Stephenson is buried at Cross Creek 1 March,1851 aged 80 years [was he 13 years old at the time of this
raid ?]; according to Simpson he came from Berkeley Co, Va
s/o James Stephenson., a paymaster of the Revolutionary Army and a nephew of
Colonel Wm. Crawford and Col. Hugh Stephenson- a friend of General Washington.
William ?served his country faithfully, and he was prominent in the bloody
scenes of St. Clair?s defeat.?[76] -
name is spelled both ways, CWCW- will listed for 1829-
no mention of the massacre.

Pvt. Charles
Stewart ? settled land in 1775 on Cross Creek and Buffalo Creek ? Hopewell
Twp in 1783; RBE- left a will in 1793, CWCW- will listed for 1814.

Pvt. Samuel Stewart ? only on the 1888 list- in 1781 and 1783 in StrabaneTownship.

Sgt. Shadrack Stillwell - not
on these tax or land grant lists; EF says he was a Pvt. in Captain Munn?s Co on
the summer, 1782 Crawford Expedition.; RBE- bound out
his children Jeremiah and Mary in 1787.

James Taylor ? from the Simpson list ?
settled land in 1776 in Buffalo
and HopewellTownships-
in Hopewell
in 1781 and FallowfieldTownship
in 1783 - told his descendents that he did not kill on this raid[77]

Pvt. George
Thorp ? in Cecil township in 1783.

Pvt. William
Turner - in 1781 listed in both Cecil and Robinson Townships - so of
indeterminate location; RBE-W.T. of Youghagania Co., Va sold 600 acres on Raccoon Creek in 1784 and his estate
accounts 1791.

Solomon Urie.
? from the Simpson list died in 1820 or 1836 at Coshocton,
Ohio.
May be the man mentioned by Farrar as one who in 1812 would talk about the raid
when drunk, [78]or
that may be the other Solomon below; EF says ? a son of Thomas Urie Sr. of Hopewell Township. Solomon and Thomas Urie Jr., brothers, were noted hunters. While on a hunting
trip near Stillwater,
Ohio;
they were attacked by Indians and Thomas was killed, but Solomon escaped. In
1815 while Solomon was living near Coshocton, Ohio he killed six Indians single
handed because one of them boasted that he had killed Thomas Urie, Jr. Solomon was taken to Mad River, tried for this
and acquitted. He was killed in 1830 falling from his horse.?

Solomon Vaile -
on the Simpson list- not on these tax or land grant lists ? in 1791 in Moon
Township of Allegheny County which place could have been in Washington County
earlier- see above reference to a ?Sol? who in the 1812 era talked about the
raid only when drunk.

Pvt. Isaac
Vance ?only on the 1788 list - settled land in 1773 on Pigeon Creek ? in
Somerset Township in 1781 and 1783; EF says he was a Pvt. in Capt. Rankin?s Co
on the summer, 1782 Crawford Expedition; PMF says he is buried at Pigeon
Creek..

Joseph Vance ? on the Simpson list - in
Smith township in 1781 and 1783 ; Ef says ?the
builder and proprietor of Vance?s Fort one mile from Cross Creek, where the
first plans for the Moravian expedition were made?, TLM 2:422 a petitioner with
others from around Well?s Fort just after the massacre advising Gen. Irvine of
the ?dangerous? situation there, -[79]
says Joseph and several of his wives are buried at Cross Creek ? an elder in
Cross Creek Church from 1782-1832; and afterwards a member of the Pennsylvania
Assembly, died 6 May, 1832 aged eighty-two years, buried in the old cemetery at
Cross Creek,? .CDAR- says he is buried in the Pigeon Creek Presbyterian
Cemetery at Dunningsville, PA b 1750 and d 5 May,
1832, CWCW- lists wills for 1822 and 1832.

Pvt. Stephen Vineyard ? in DonegalTownship in 1781 and 1783.

Robert Wallace ? on the Simpson List
only- bought 300 acres in Westmoreland Co in 1773 from Pennsylvania,[80]
in Cross Creek Township in 1783 ? cited by EF as at the massacre and claimed
that he did a lot of killing ? his family was killed and carried off just
before this expedition and some historians say that the attack on the Wallace
family set off this expedition ; EF says that he died
in 1808 and is buried at Florence, CWCW- lists a will in 1808.

William Welch- named by Stephen Burkham who was there: ?William Welch, an Irishman
tomahawked seven. The house was crowded according to Burkham
with men tomahawking, the Indians had previously sang and prayed.;?
[81]
not on 1781 tax list; a name used by Allen Eckert (see below).

Pvt. Morris
West ? - TLM 2:422 petitioner with others from around Well?s Fort just
after the massacre informing Gen. Irvine of the ?dangerous? situation there for
the settlers- HopewellTownship
in 1783.

Pvt. Alexander White ? on the 1888 list only
? in SomersetTownship in 1783.

Pvt. James
White settled land in 1773 in Chartiers and N. Strabane -was in Strabane and
Robinson in 1781 and in Strabane in 1783 ? both
single in 1781 in Strabane ? man of this name elected
a Washington County Justice of the Peace in 1781- is buried in Allegheny
County. His land in Strabane could in 1788 have been
put into AlleghenyCounty
from WashingtonCounty.

Pvt. John
White ?only on the 1888 list- in 1781 and 1783 in Smith Township; EF-says
settled in old Strabane Township in 1773, elected a
Justice of the Peace on 15 July, 1781 [ was he on this expedition while being a
Justice of the Peace?]; WJC 1792 land patent; and died in 1806, CWCW lists a
will in 1807.

Pvt. Nathaniel White ? in 1781 in StrabaneTownship without land and in Strabane in
1783.

Pvt. Stephen Wilkins ? only on the 1888 list
? in StrabaneTownship in 1783.

Lt. William
Wilkins ? only in the 1888 list ? in 1783 in Smith Township ; EF says he
was an Ensign in Capt. Munn?s Co. on the summer, 1782 Crawford Expedition; ?
buried in Allegheny County.

John
Williams- It was recently discovered that the son of
this man put in writing to Lyman Draper that his father was on this expedition,
and the father blamed Colonel David Williamson for the killing. That letter is
reproduced in the microfilm of the well known Draper Manuscripts at the Wisconsin
Historical Society.[82]

Lt.
Col. David Williamson ?born in 1752
at Carlisle, Pa; after visiting the western country brought his parents into
this frontier; settled land in the Buffalo Creek area in 1774, 1775, 1776 and
1777 (about 900 acres) ? listed in Donegal Township in 1781 with 800 acres so
owner of one of the larger amounts of land on this expedition- and in Donegal
Twp in 1783; WJC- Sr. and Jr. 1787 grants - the highest ranking militiaofficer
on this expedition and supposedly elected to the top ranking position.; EF
says that Colonel Williamson was ?strongly opposed? to the killing of the
Moravians- Stephan Burkham claimed in later years to
have been at the massacre quoted Col. Williamson as saying ?do what you will with theprisoners? as he walked off. This was
told by Burkham to Lyman C. Draper well known for his
collection of original material now at the Wisconsin Historical Society,[83]Colonel Williamson after the raid was elected
Sheriff of Washington County, but died poor in a dispute with the county over a
note he had co-signed; CDAR says he was buried in the Washington, Pa cemetery
without a stone in 1814 at age 74.

It was the custom of the American militia to
elect their own officers. Lieutenant Colonel David
Williamson was elected to his position. However, it may not be fair to say he
was elected commander. Militia did not always do what they were told by their
own officers. It is uncertain how much to charge him with the responsibility
for the killing. It is clear that there were other men along who also had high
ranking positions in the militia. It is always pointed out that his role in
this Massacre did not ruin his political standing as he was elected Sheriff of
Washington County a few years later.

Eleazer Williamson-
brother of Col. David above; the author was told by letter by Dr. Raymond Bell
that this man was on the raid. However, that has been impossible to verify. His
pension application says that he was on the expedition in 1781 that took Indian
prisoners, and that he was also on the summer, 1782 ?Crawford? expedition which
is verifiable.[84]
He did not in that application mention being on this March, 1782 expedition
which he either forgot or didn?t want to claim among his tours of militia duty-
he had been a militia officer in WestmorelandCounty
but was not one on this expedition.

Pvt. AbnerWillson?in 1781 without land in SmithTownship
- listed in Hopewell
and/or Cecil 1783, this name spelled with one and two l?s is a bit of a puzzle.

Pvt. Jno. Willson- in 1781 in Smith, Cecil and Peters without
land?in 1783 there are four Johns in
various townships of Washington County - so is indeterminate as to location;
RBE- bought 329 acres on Streets Run in 1784 and 100 acres on Two Mile run in
1785; CDAR- a John Wilson who d 14 Feb, 1803 is buried in Washington, PA.

Pvt. Miles Willson ? in
SmithTownship in 1781 and CecilTownship in 1783.

Pvt. William
Willson? several men with this name- one settled
land in 1769 on Little Whiteley Creek ?three listings
of men of this name and spelling in 1781 in Bethlehem, Cecil and Smith
Townships so indeterminate whether one or three men- one man in Hopewell
Township in 1783 ; RBE- lists four land transactions of men of this name: of
Augusta Co., Va sold 400 acres on Racoon
Creek in 1777, of Washington County sold 200 acres on ?Shirtees?
(Chartiers) Creek in 1783 and of Youghania
Co., Va sold 300 acres on Raccoon Creek in 1779 and
of Pittsburgh sold 300 acres in 1784; WHC- two 1786 grants; CDAR?a William
Wilson Sr. buried at the Bethel Presbyterian Church at Clifton, PA- near Rte
19, lived 1757-25 Jan, 1845. buried in Allegheny County.; one man of this name
buried at Cross Creek;[85]
RBE notes two estates by men of this name: one in 1794 with a son, Robert; and
one in 1795 of Cecil Twp leaving minor children (William, Robert, Esther,
Margaret and Elizabeth), CWCW- lists a will for 1795. .

There
were several pensions made by William Wilsons in this
area. Number S3572 was living in AlleghenyCounty
in 1832. He said that in 1777 he served under General Wayne in the battles at Princeton,
Monmouth, and Trenton
for three years; and at Shamokin against the Indians. No mention of militia
service or the Massacre. Pension number S22600 was living in Jefferson Twp of
Allegheny County, Pa when pensioned having served three enlistments from 1777.
No mention of the Massacre or militia service.

The
man with pension number S7907 from Monongalia Co, VA is the most likely. His
was all frontier service. He says that in 1779 he served under Col. Brodhead
against the Munsie towns, in 1780 was an Indian spy
on Dunkard Creek; and in June of 1781 he served under
General Clark to the Forks of the Ohio.
He would be the most likely to have been on the Massacre, but makes no mention
of it.[86]

A
man of this name with one l in DAR3 was Pvt in lst Pa Regt buried in Hamilton Co., Ohio.; there is also in
DAR3 a Major Wm. Wilson 1754-1851 b in Ireland with a brother in the Tygart Valley, Randolph Co., Va
buried in the Casner Cemetery near Mt. Ephraim, Noble
Co., Ohio.

Pvt. Andrew
Wineman? on the 1888 list only ? not on these
tax and land grant lists.

Pvt. Thomas Young ? in 1781 in CecilTownship without land ? in 1783 also in CecilTownship.

WORKS
REFERRED TO ABOVE BY LETTERS

CDAR Canonsburg,
Pa.
DAR, Revolutionary War Soldiers of
Washington County, Pa. or Buried inWashington
County, mimeographed, no date or author.

DAR3Daughters of the American Revolution, Official Roster III, Soldiers of the
American Revolution Who Lived in the State of Ohio,? ,l959,
no place of publication or author.Includes
information on ancestors of DAR members only. There is more data on some
so full citation must be checked.

WJCList of men whose land grants were in the
Archives, Washington
and Jefferson College,
Washington,
Pa; type written, n.d. or authorl
these Virginia
grants were for military service in state units of the Line or sometimes for militia
service. Men who enlisted for three years in a Continental line were promised
100 acres.

The
eighteen men who voted against killing

Most
accounts relate that the men were lined up at the Indian village after the
people were captured, and those who were against killing the Christian Indians
were told to step forward. That was a common procedure with militia troops for
voting on an issue. When the voting was done eighteen men stepped forward to
vote against killing. It took a lot of courage and conviction to step out of
that throng of men who had undoubtedly made known their desire to kill.
Strangely enough even the names of most of the men who refused to kill the
native Moravians have not been handed down. Colonel David Williamson was allegedly against the killing, but
either could not or did not stop it. Obadiah
Holmes Jr. according to EF was among those who did not kill, and even
brought home a young Indian boy who had escaped being killed. Edward Christy?s role as the chief
exhorter against killing has been related. JamesTaylor and Thomas Orr told their
descendents that they did not kill. Robert
Marshall?s stone over his grave says that he was one of the 18
non-participators. Jacob Miller?s
son wrote that Jacob did not kill and stood aside. Unfortunately, in old age
many men may have regretted their involvement and wanted to clear their names
and reputations. .

A
memorial ought to be erected at Gnadenhutten,
Ohio
to those 18 men for their heroic refusal, but all their names will never be
known unless a list of primary authority is found. In fact there is no
corroborating evidence yet found naming those who stepped aside except that of
self report of men in their old age. One of the unfortunate aspects of the
imposed secrecy, a secret investigation left unresolved by the Congress and
lack of an investigative press or any press at all in the area.

The
196 number

It
ought not come as a surprise that we have found 196
names. Although Joseph Doddridge said that there were 80-90 he may have only
known of those who came from his area of the county. General Irvine said at the
time after he had looked into the matter that there were 300 men.[87]
The Pennsylvania Archives said in 1888 that there were ?at least 160?; and Stephen Burkham-
who was there said years later there were 400.[88]Burkham?s is the only estimate by a man who was there even
though he apparently rode in the day the killing was done. General Irvine- the ranking outside investigator of the time may
have the more accurate estimate at around 300. At that rate, there are
undoubtedly more men yet to be found.

The
names used by Allen Eckert

Allen
Eckert has written two popular versions of this event in parts of larger books
in The Frontiersman (1971)[89]
and That Dark and Bloody River (1995).[90]
However, on this event he has used some real names of men who were there, and
some other names of men who were not apparently there. At least there is no
evidence that they were there or that they existed in the area at the time. The
names of the men used by Allen Eckert who cannot be found there are: George Bellar, Nathan Rollins and Altho
Johnston. Research into the sources cited above do not
reveal those names. Eckert?s sources for those names would be of utmost
historical importance. Of course, the list includes another 15 men who cannot
be found so that fact alone does not prove they were not there. Eckert?s
sources would be crucial.

While
the local historian, Earle Forrest (EF) claims that Charles Bilderback
did the first killing of the young Joseph
Schabosh, and that an unnamed man killed the next
thirteen imprisoned people with blows of a coopers mallet he does not name the
man who did that. Allen Eckert without citing the authority in his footnotes
has named Charles Bilderback
as the man who did the first killing of thirteen captives with a blow from a
cooper?s mallet while Isaac Craig had heard that it might have been Daniel Leet
who first used the mallet. It would be important to know the authority for
those names and the source for the attribution of this horrendous act to
Charles Bilderback

HOME
LOCATION AND SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE MEN

Most
of these 197 men were by ethnicity Scotch, Irish or Scots-Irish. That is
difficult to prove, but is based on writing on the Scots-Irish in Western
Pennsylvania by descendents who boasted of their
predominance.[91]C.W.Butterfield, a careful historian of the area,
also notes the high proportion of Irish and Scots- Irish. Many of the people
were immigrants themselves or sons and daughters of immigrants with a strong
memory of the struggles of the old country for land and freedom. Men of this
background were known for their tenacity and fighting spirit- and what today we
would call racist views which they projected onto the Indians. It is claimed
that such men were blatantly racist against the Indians.[92] A
few were of Swiss and German ethnicity and a few descendents of English
colonists whose families had spent several generations in this country.

Quite a good number
of these men were not poor. Many owned land in quantities up to 1500 acres- the
average being one farm of 300 acres. Most undoubtedly hoped
to own land. All chose freely to bring their families to this part of
the frontier where guerilla war came on with the Revolution. We see that some
even brought their families into this country during the Revolution. There was
an expectation on their part of living in safety, and of being protected by the
troops of the government out of FortPitt.
The terrorist incidents of killing, maiming and capturing carried out by the
British inspired Indians had unnerved this whole frontier; but upwards of ten
thousand people lived there anyway.

The
tax lists make it clear that most of these men had wives and many probably had
families. Only a few single men show up on the tax lists as a small percent of
the whole. We can safely assume that most had wives and children. There were
several generations of some families in the area as is evident from the use of
Sr. and Jr. There was a wide spread of wealth, power and position in this
volunteer militia organization. Joseph Doddridge was right on the point that
some of the best men ?meaning land rich and politically powerful- in the area
went along on this expedition. There was direct connection of some of these men
to the officers at FortPitt,
but knowledge of the moving army was apparently kept from Colonel Gibson. It is
claimed that a couple of these men had been in Captain Bigg?s
company at the Fort who had justly treated and released some Moravian Indians
the preceding fall [from the 1st Williamson expedition].

The most powerful people in the Chartiers and Cross Creek area had to know this army was
being organized. There was direct connection to Colonel James Marshel- the CountyLieutenant
and militia commander whether or not he gave them orders. . Daniel Leet
was a friend of General George Washington and other high placed men. These men
were a cross section of the able bodied manhood of the area- and most
especially from WashingtonCounty.
In actual fact some of these men were very well off in land, money and
position- but apparently were also fighters. This is proven by the fact that
some of these men also went along as volunteers on the big summer 1782
expedition to try to kill off the various Indian tribes at Upper Sandusky [the
Crawford Expedition].

Home
Locality of the men;

The
men of the Fourth Battalion of Washington County Militia on these lists were
scattered all over Washington County as well as East of the rivers in
Westmoreland County and west into the panhandle of (West) Virginia ? and a few
were even living illegally beyond the Ohio River in Indian country. Some
clearly lived out of WashingtonCounty
both East and West. One third were found on the 1781 tax lists and over half in
1783 on Washington County tax lists. Another half dozen lived East of the
rivers, and a few more illegally west of the rivers. Only fifteen remain
completely unmentioned on the lists searched here. Those fifteen are unlisted
who may have been transients, newcomers or underage volunteers too young to tax
or own land.

Among
those located in WashingtonCounty
twenty-five percent came from CecilTownship
on both tax lists. Cecil was the political power center of the county. CecilTownship
included the most men with military and social titles on the tax list. Colonel Dorsey Pentecost the wealthy
elected representative to the Pennsylvania
government; and Colonel John Neville
another rich and powerful man both lived in CecilTownship
as did numerous others of wealth and power. This was the ?Shurtee?
area, ( the population center of the area drained by Chartiers Creek) or the ?ssscotch?
settlement.

In the 1781 list the
second largest number were from Hopewell
(13) and Strabane (13); and second in 1783 were from Hopewell
(19). Those three townships are clustered together in the middle of WashingtonCounty.
Hopewell
is the township where both Colonel David
Williamson and Colonel JamesMarshel, the CountyLieutenant
lived. The largest number of these may have come from the Cross Creek area- or
that area surrounding where the Colonels Williamson and Marshel
lived- which might be considered the center of military power. In this way the
expedition was largely from the centers of political and military power of the
area west of the mountains.

While
no township went unrepresented among the men we could find there were zeros in
both years in a couple of townships. In 1781 the townships with zero were Bethlehem
and Fallowfield; and in 1783 townships having none
listed are Cumberland,
Greene and Morgan, all in the southern portion now Greene County.

The
fact that these men were scattered all over the area raises a question as to
whether the Fourth Battalion was a group of volunteers who assembled hastily as
Doddridge has said, or a pre-organized organization. The fact that some had
been officers in both the militia and the Continental Line and traveled as
Privates on this expedition makes that question even more poignant. It is also
clear that some men joined this expedition without being on militia duty and
without military rank. It seems that some were just passing through or showed
up just for the expedition after some years of fighting in the East. Some
joined for the goal whatever it was. Others went along specifically because of
their families or friends having been killed. Robert Wallace is the most obvious example of that. This was not
just a minimal response of reluctant men but a major volunteer response of
everyone who heard of it and wanted to go. It was all out major war.

The
fact that two of the county sub- lieutenants, Daniel Leet and Matthew Ritchie, went along as privates; and Jacob Miller usually a major in Virginia
militia went along without apparent rank is of special interest. This is
difficult to explain in the understandings of 200 years ago. Among volunteers
was it just a matter of being part of the objective? Is this just a very
leveling or democratic act on their part? Were they men who carried rank
lightly and didn?t care about it? They were obviously willing volunteers, but
it is difficult to know in their terms how this happened.

Furthermore, more than twenty of these men had
seen war service in the Continental Lines of several states, particularly Virginia
and Pennsylvania.
There may be many more who served in Continental units. Many of them had
serious militia service. For the war in the East .men had been supplied or gone
from the area west of the mountains to serve there. Some were veterans of
battles against the British, Indians and loyalists. This was not an army of
beginners, but of men of considerable frontier and regular army fighting
experience.

We have shown that in some few instances where
these men lived long enough to make applications for pensions under the laws of
1818 and 1832 only one could be found who mentioned specifically his
involvement in this expedition which he called a ?skirmish? (William Baxter).
After searching fifty pension applications of likely participants William Baxter is unique in this
respect. His pension application was mentioned by Lyman Draper who noted
Baxter?s candor.[93]
That suggests that the participants were either ashamed of it, wanted to forget
it, or didn?t want that service known or used as qualification for a pension.

The
army that left by tacit approval

From
the subsequent action of Colonel Gibson in temporary command of the Fort; and
known to be sympathetic to the Indians it is evident that this army was able to
get away quietly and unknown to him. This could only be done with the
cooperation and approval of the many people of the area who did not go along.
Some of this can be deduced by looking at the number of men who came from the
river townships. In 1782 the townships which bordered on the Ohio River NW of
the FortPitt
were Robinson and Peters, and those around the corner on the Monongahelia were the small Nottingham
and the big FallowfieldTownships.
CecilTownship
was just behind and between Nottingham
and Peters. This research shows that 30 or more men were from CecilTownship.
CecilTownship
residents in this army included two of the CountyLieutenants:
Daniel Leet
and MatthewRitchie. Two or three men were from each of Robinson, Peters and NottinghamTownships.
It would be difficult if not impossible to gather up 40 men and move them
Southwest on horseback without attracting the notice of numerous other people. CecilTownship
was fairly populated with important people. There were only a couple of trails
through the area along which most of the men had to travel. It is interesting
to note that a third CountyLieutenant
of the time from CecilTownship,
William Cochran, did not go along.
There was apparently some choice in the matter of whether to be a volunteer.
So, it seems evident that there had to be collusion and approval by other
people living there who did not report this immediately to the Fort. This
suggests further that many or most of the people in CecilTownship
who knew of the army approved of their mission.

An
All Volunteer Army

It
is only on the alleged statement of Joseph
Vance who was on this expedition, the operator of Vance?s Fort, made years
later that this raid was planned in advance at his place. There is no
corroborating evidence on that from someone who was there. Maybe, it was
planned to take place as early as the river ice went out. That may account for
the composition of the companies. It is clear that these men were volunteers
who gathered in a hurry after the first Indian raids of the early spring. The
men likely started around Chartiers. The volunteer
nature of this militia army is even reported by John Struthers, a man who was
in the area and declined to go along.[94]William Baxter, a participant, also
says it was a volunteer operation.

The instigators of this expedition knew that
if they moved fast while General Irvine was out of communication they could get
away before the Fort knew about it. The leaders knew that General Irvine had
turned the fort over to Colonel Gibson on January 15,
and left for his home in Carlisle,
Pa.
Numerous men from Cross Creek and other settlements in HopewellTownship
where Colonels Marshel
and Williamson lived joined the group as it made its way down to Wheeling
and on to Mingo Bottom. As they crossed through the Virginia Panhandle a few
more men joined them. When they got to the Ohio
River word got out about the large expedition going
up the Muskingum. John Carpenter and other men who were settled illegally west
of the Ohio
joined them.

This
army did get away unbeknownst to Colonel John Gibson in temporary command of FortPitt
while General Irvine was away. It is said that when Col. Gibson learned of
their aims he sent a messenger to warn the Moravian Indians in their villages,
but that the messenger got there too late. That suggests that this group moved
fast without knowledge of the command at the fort, and got across the Ohio
River into Indian
Territory before news got to the Fort. That
answers the question as to why Colonel Gibson did not stop them whether or not
he could have.

It is clear that this tragic event was hidden
from public scrutiny by its perpetrators almost completely except for word of
mouth. It is likely that the most volatile and brutal among them threatened the
others to remain silent. It is also possible that shame and guilt served to
keep men silent, and that having men of high military and social status
participating in the killing intimidated many. There is a pattern even into old
age that some forgot to mention their involvement even in pension applications
where a service record was required.

This research clearly shows that this
volunteer army included men of all stations in life including men of property
and position who were willing to go along as privates to get the job done
(whatever it was intended to be). The task was enough of a priority as far as
they were concerned that rank and position did not matter for this hastily
organized expedition. That is the Fourth Battalion, WashingtonCounty
militia of the First week of March, 1782.

It
is also clear that this expedition afterwards did not give peace of mind or a
sense of security to some of the men and their families in the area. Thomas
Montgomery (TLM) has printed several petitions or informational bulletins of
prominent men who lived around Well?s Fort and mill issued just after this
tragic event. Forty six men signed these petitions eight of whom had been on
this expedition namely; Henry Nelson,
Walter Hill, Morris West, Thomas Shannon, John Carpenter, Aaron Sackett, Henry Graham and Joseph Vance. They wanted a
few soldiers to guard the mill claiming it not only supplied them with flour for
bread, but also supplied flour for the militia. They felt that the soldiers
guarding the river were not enough to protect the mill. They obviously didn?t
have a sense of security even after the killing of the Moravians.

Final
Judgement

There
ought to be some final word on the infamy of these murders however gratuitous
that might be 200 years later. It was suggested by other men who were in the
area at the time that these men were cowards trying to avoid further service in
the army being raised by General George Rogers Clark. A well known old fighter
of the French and Indian War and the Revolution published in 1812 that ?this
was an act of barbarity equal to anything I ever knew to be committed by the
savages themselves, excepting the burning of prisoners.[95]
Captain Henry Jolly late in life estimated that they were cowards for what they
did.[96]
Those are interesting viewpoints for men who were themselves frontiersman of
that time and place. General William Irvine was circumspect to openly express
his judgement of these acts of murder, but the General does call it a
?barbarity? in his letter of May
9, 1782 to the President of the Supreme
Executive Council of Pennsylvania.[97]
There is no way now for the men who did this killing to explain or defend
themselves.

There is evidence that it was an act of
desperation. Native American opinion of the time is difficult to find, but
contemporary Native American opinion would call this genocide. This has been
represented to me by Dr. Barbara Alice Mann of the University
of Toledo.
This is not the place to try to explain this killing. There is no way for us
200 years later to justify the killing of innocent men, women and children who
along with their European missionary teachers were friends of the cause of the
very Americans who killed them. .

[20] William
Egle, editor Pennsylvania Archives
(Harrisburg: Ray, 1897)3S:26:531-624. Jonathan Steyer
of the Commonwealth Land Office, Pennsylvania State Archives, Harrisburg said on 1 Sept., 1999 that this index is not
accurate, and only some of the warrants give the township location of the land.
Since the warrants are not available on microfilm with an index the thousands
of warrants would have to be searched by hand in Harrisburg.

[21] George
C. Williston, ?Desperation on the Western Pennsylvania
Frontier: A 1781 Petition to Congress for More Effective Defense? Pennsylvania
History 67: 7, Spring, 2000 298-312 .

[26] Randall
Wilkins of Wapatomica Productions, Sierra Madre Ca
makes this allegation. Mr. Wilkins was asked for the evidence, and suggested in
a letter to the author 31 March, 2001
that the source was Allan Eckert as noted above and the Lyman Draper MSS. The
published index to the Draper MSS which are in the Wisconsin Historical Society
poor as it is only lists a Bolderback in Ree 11. That is the only possible indexed reference. Most
of reel 11 was tediously searched without discovery of the evidence for this
claim. We conclude that there is no evidence for the claim of Eckert or Wilkins
on this matter which Mr. Wilkins himself says in his letter of 31 March, 2001as
follows: ?The source is, as far as I know, unsubstantiated by any others as
well as being a possible second or third-person account, making it dubious as
historical record.?..

[46] Kate
Rowland The Life of George Mason (New York: Putnam, 1892) I:214.
In this letter George Mason refers to a Mr. Leet as
one of two surveyors of the 200,000 acres men of the Ohio Company hoped to
secure for themselves in a business venture.

[64]J.C.Lobdell, Indian Warfare in Western Pennsylvania and NorthWest Virginia at the Time of the American Revolution
(Bowie: Heritage, 1992) 75 ].[from the memoirs of Captain Henry Jolly given to Lyman Draper 1838].

[83]Burkham quotes Colonel Williamson to Draper in Lobdell: Further Materials ,92. This
is important as this is the only report of this remark by Colonel David
Williamson, and probably cannot be corroborated.

The author is indebted to Louise
Martin Mohler for the identification of the major
lists which were eventually re-discovered by the author, and the method that
she used. Louise Mohler encouraged further
investigation and development of what she had begun, and carefully edited the
manuscript. The author is indebted to Jean S. Morris for the name that she
added. There is indebtedness as well as Irene Taylor of Cannonsburg, Pa.
There is further indebtedness to John C. Harriman and others of the Clements
Library at the University of Michigan
for courtesies extended to an amateur. In a similar vein one must remember
Bonnie Knox of the local Wayne County Library. Other libraries open to the
author?s free use included: Wooster
College, Ohio Genealogical Society, Washington Pennsylvania Public Library,
Library of Michigan, the University
of Michigan and that of Washington
and JeffersonUniversity.